Posted by don in nh [96.61.88.160] on Saturday, November 08, 2014 at 15:29:01 :
After driving my original 88187 sleeve too far, I took the $6.49 hit and tried again as I was afraid the seal was going to wear out due to riding on the edge. I was more cautious this time. I installed the sleeve just short of where I thought it wanted to go on the drive flange using the provided installation cup. I then put the flange onto the pinion in the differential and tightened up the pinion nut. This pushed the flange into place. I then removed the drive flange and tap-tapped a tiny bit further so that it would not ride on the seal. The final resting place is a hair away from the seal, and I am happy with the result (see link below).
But - to add to the intrigue of the 99187 versus 88187 question: my first 88187 from Autozone came in a Timken box (right side of picture, after I removed it). My second one, also from Autozone, was in a Duralast box (left side of picture, installed). The Timken is NOT scored next to the installation flange, while the Duralast one is (compare outer edges where it starts to curve up in the picture). I believe that this scoring is the break-line to remove the flange, which was $25 difference between the two (but I've never actually seen the other one, perhaps it's not?).
So, it seems that it could be the case that a Duralast 88187 is a Timken 99187, and a Timken 88187 is slightly different. But either way, I think that the flange is not an issue when installed on a 1/2t drive flange (http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b527/wcdump/Other%20Truck%20Stuff/20141108_140606_zps7oiehucl.jpg). When I get around to the other seals I'll be using the cheapies.
I hope this is useful.
Don
